Wagon-jack.



S. L. PORN.

WAGON JACK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1909.

959,255, Patented May 24, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN L. PORN, OF RUGBY, NORTH DAKOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRYLUTI-I, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

WAGON-JACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 9, 1909.

Patented May 24, 1910.

Serial No. 501,045.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN L. PORN, citizen of the United States,residing at Rugby, in the county of Pierce and State of North Dakota,have invented a new and useful Wagon-Jack, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a lifting jack intended primarily for liftingthe axle of a wagon, carriage, automobile or other vehicle forfacilitating the operation of removing or applying a wheel.

One of the objects of the invention is to improve and simplify theconstruction of devices of this character so as to be comparativelysimple and inexpensive to manufacture, reliable and eflicient in use,and so desoilgned as to be easily and quickly operate Another object ofthe invention is the provision of a jack of the lever type which isequipped with an adjustable axle-engaging element for adapting the jackfor all varieties of vehicles.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention comprises the various novel fea tures ofconstruction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully describedhereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claim appendedhereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 is a side view of the jack shown in axle-supportingposition by full lines, and in position for placing or removing thejack, by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the lower portion of thejack. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. A is a fragmentary pers ective view of an intermediate portion 0the lever or beam of the jack. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of theaxle-engaging element.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the views.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 designates a beam-like lever terminatinat its upper end in a curved handle 2 after the fashion of a plowhandle, and secured to the lower end of the lever are a pair of spacedwheel-carrying brackets 3 each composed of two right-angularly arrangedmetal strips a and I) having their ends overlapping and connected by anaxle bolt 4 that carries the wheel 5, the upper and forward ends of themembers a and b of both brackets being fastened to the lever bythrough-bolts 6 and 7. The periphery of the wheel 5 is so disposed withrespect to the bottom end of the lever that when the jack is supportedin upright position on the ground or floor, as shown in Fig. 1,the leverwill be slightly inclined to the perpendicular for supporting the load.

The lever 1 carries an axle-engaging device designated generally by A,which is so designed as to be adjustable longitudinally of the lever foradapting the jack for use with different vehicles. The device A consistspreferably, although not necessarily, of a casting formed with a body orbase 8 consisting of a front plate 9 and spaced side plates 10 whereby ahollow structure of U- shaped cross sectlon is formed so as to partiallyembrace the lever 1. Extending forwardly from the front plate 9 are anydesired number of horns or axle-engaging arms, two being shown in thepresent instance. These horns 11 and 12 are arranged one alpove anotherin spaced relation, the upper orn 11 being of greater length than thehorn 12 so as to be used for large farm or other wagons, while the horn12 is used for buggy axles and the like. The top faces of the horns areflat so as to engage the under faces of the axles, and the horns can bereinforced by ribs 13 to provide the necessary strength; Theaxle-engaging device A is capable of sliding upwardly and downwardly onthe beam 1 and is fastened in different positions of adjustment by a pin14. that passes through alining apertures 15 in the side plates 10, andany one of a number of spaced apertures 16 in the lever l, as shownclearly in Fig. 3. The pin 14 is connected with the lever by a cord 17or the like so as to prevent its being misplaced.

In practice, the axle-engaging device A will be adjusted in properposition with respect to the axle to be raised, and in applying thejack, the same will be gripped by the handle 2, and the jack movedforwardly on the wheel 5 to the dotted line position, Fig. 1, so as toengage the upper horn or arm 11 under the axle 18 of the vehicle. Whenthus engaged, the handle 2 is pushed forwardly to thereby cause thelower end of the jack to move rearwardly on the wheel 5 until the lowerend of the lever strikes the floor. In this operation, the axle israised from the dotted line to the full line position, and the ack isautomatically locked in supporting position as soon as the lever strikesthe floor, the center line of gravity passing through the axle beingdisposed between the points of contact of the wheel and lever with thefloor line, with the result that the jack is stably supported. The wheelof the vehicle can then be taken off for lubricating the axle or anyother purpose, and replaced when desired. To remove the ack, the handle2 is pulled rearwardly and downwardly to the dotted line position forthereby disengaging the arm 11 from the axle. If the other axle of thevehicle is higher or lower than the axle 18, it is necessary to ad justthe position of the axle-engaging device A on the lever to render thejack effective. F or small axles such as buggy axles, the lower horn orarm 12 may be used, the jack being operated in the manner alreadydescribed.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the device whichI consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that suchchanges may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claimappended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

A wagon jack consisting of a lever having an upper end constituting ahandle and equipped on its rear side at its lower end with a rollerconstituting a fulcrum and a carrying means, the said lever beingprovided between its ends with a longitudinal series of transverseopenings, a head having a central plate bearing against the front of thelever and side plates extending from the edges of the central plate andfitting closely against the sides of the lever and provided withopenings adapted to register with the openings in the lever, a pluralityof horns of unequal lengths projecting forwardly from the central plateof the head, and a pin inserted through the registering openings in thelever and the side plates of the head.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

STEPHEN L. PORN.

\Vitnesses HENRY ALBERTsoN, O. A. SPILLUM.

